‘Dexter’ Season 6 Details Revealed

There will be plenty of changes – on screen and off – for season 6 of Dexter. With a new showrunner and a direction that will hark back to the serial killer’s first seasons, Showtime is ready to take the character “back to his roots.”

After Dexterseason 5 brought in the highest ratings to date for the hit Showtime series, it was clear that the cable network would have to work hard to not only maintain, but also surpass the elevated expectations for season 6.

Last week, the network detailed some casting information regarding three new members to the Dexterfamily, which undoubtedly raised many questions as to how they might fit into the overall story arc of the impending season. Though nothing emerged in terms of who the central villain might be, or which of the characters (if any) would discover Dexter’s ‘dark passenger,’ the guessing games have certainly commenced.

Speaking at the 4th Annual Television Academy Honors in Beverly Hills, Showtime president David Nevins gave a few tidbits regarding what we can expect from the new season.

“Dexter this season will be in some ways a return to the Dexter that you’ve seen in the early seasons. There’s a really interesting story and journey that he’s going to be on this year. There’s going to be some degree of getting back to his roots.”

According to Nevins, getting Dexter back to his roots means touching once more on the sibling relationship between Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) and her adopted brother.

“There will be a microscope on the Deb/Dexter relationship this season. Over time you’re going to see that relationship evolve and change, no questions about it.”

Of course with a comment like that, it’s easy to begin speculation that Dexter’s secret will finally be revealed to his sister, but he could also be touching on Deb’s relationship with Joey Quinn (Desmond Harrington), and the fact that he and Dexter don’t exactly see eye-to-eye.

Dexter has always had to play both sides equally in each season, carefully balancing the serial killer aspects with the relationships among the supporting cast. Occasionally, like in season 4, focusing on a main villain has brought the show serious accolades – but this time around Nevins hints that Dexter’s antagonist won’t be a Trinity or Ice Truck Killer.

“It is not one big bad. There’s one interesting story that will move through the season, and it will be cast very interestingly, but it’s not exactly that one person.”

With luck, what Nevins means is that season 6 will be telling a more integrated story, blurring the lines between the personal life of Dexter Morgan and his overwhelming homicidal tendencies. This alteration to the well-established formula of the show helped to make the past season its most successful yet, and may prove to be a sign of things to come.